Man sentenced for attack on nurse and police at West Suffolk Hospital

It took six people to restrain Paul Ahchoon at the A&E department of West Suffolk Hospital, where he assaulted a female nurse and two male officers earlier this year.

The nurse attacked by Ahchoon was left with redness to the neck and a sore shoulder, and was still shaking and crying an hour later.

In a victim impact statement, she said: “It lasted literally 10 seconds, but it’s funny how it has shaken me up.

“I had to keep myself busy in the week before returning to work. If I didn’t, I’d replay the incident in my head.

“When I walked in for the first time, I was shaking and had sweaty palms.

“He was just out to get anyone to attack.

“It made me question if I could help a patient if they were in that sort of situation.

“Some colleagues were surprised I’d returned to work so soon, but I felt the longer I was off, the more I would dwell on it, and the harder it would be to return.”

Jan Bloomfield, director of workforce and communications at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The safety of our staff and patients is paramount, and one assault on a member of our staff is too many. We understand that coming to the hospital is a stressful time for both patients and relatives, but we will not tolerate verbal and physical behaviour towards staff when they are simply trying to provide help and care.”

In May, Ipswich nurse Sarah Seeley, chairman of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Suffolk branch, led a debate on NHS staff being supplied body cameras at the union’s annual congress in Belfast.

She said: “[Nurses are] being strangled, stabbed, headbutted, punched, kicked, spat at, slapped, bitten and even having their eyes gouged.”

She said a number of NHS trusts, including her own, had recently introduced bodycams. Trials had found a reduction of up to 100 per cent in violent incidents and restraints being carried out on patients.

She added: “The costs of the cameras would be offset by the reduction in complaints, incidents and restraints.

“The police, fire and security services are now wearing body worn cameras with positive evidence highlighting their use as a deterrent providing evidence to reduce violent situations and prosecutions.”